As early as 10 years of age, girls begin to become more sedentary, their activity levels dropping as much as 83 percent as they transition through adolescense.

By age 14, only 1 in 10 girls are doing enough physical activity to benefit their health, compared with roughly twice the number of boys of the same age.

In addition to lack of sports or fitness participation, a young girl’s self esteem takes a nose dive at age nine and in today’s world, adolescent girls are bombarded with images of external beauty, causing them to question themselves, how they should look, who they should be and how to fit in.Studies show that exercise programs are associated with significant increases in the self-esteem scores of participants. Self-esteem is considered the most important measure of psychological well-being and is listed as one of the psychological dimensions that most benefits from the effects of regular exercise.

Girls need strong, confident, healthy female athlete role models. Peer pressure is difficult for girls of all ages but female athletes can help offset that by encouraging girls to participate in sports and maintain a healthy active lifestyle.

Female athletes make good role models for adolescent girls by promoting physical activity and involvement in sports, confidence, a strong work ethic, and emphasizing the importance of education.

The goals of the curriculum are for girls to:

Become more physically active, working their way up to getting 60 minutes of exercise a day…and staying active for life!

Develop and maintain self-respect, self-confidence, and a positive self-image.

Understand the connection between mind and body.

Internalize the message that there is no one “ideal” body type.

Begin to understand the consequences of and explore alternatives to health-risk behaviors.

Gain developmentally appropriate knowledge of nutrition and the health benefits of physical activity.

Increase their motivation to participate in sports and other kinds of physical activity.

Be able to respond positively to peer pressure.

Accept and respect others.

Build positive relationships with adult facilitators and the peers in the group.

Build leadership skills and serve as role models for other girls to get physically active.

Learn how to set goals and work towards achieving them.

BONUS! As part of our FITMind(TM) initiative, girls registered for EmpowerU will get to participate in a 45 minute mindfulness class.

Overview The curriculum consists of 12 lessons, each of which features a story by a local athlete or a peer role model and accompanying physical activities, discussion questions, facilitator tips, and healthy snack ideas.

The lessons focus on helping girls explore important issues in their lives, helping them to build a positive self-image and motivating them to develop an interest in participating in sports and other kinds of physical activity. The lessons also help girls discover how they interact with the world around them, and aims to empower them to affect change in their own lives and the lives of others in their communities.

Each lesson also contains a “Try @ Home” activity. This is an activity girls should do at home on their own between sessions, working eventually toward a goal of being active 60 minutes a day.

Youth Physical Activity Guidelines Girls should have 60 minutes (1 hour) or more of physical activity daily. Aerobic: Most of the 60 or more minutes a day should be either moderate- or vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity and should include vigorous-intensity physical activity at least 3 days a week. Muscle-strengthening: As part of their 60 or more minutes of daily physical activity, children and adolescents should include muscle-strengthening physical activity on at least 3 days of the week. Bone-strengthening: As part of their 60 or more minutes of daily physical activity, children and adolescents should include bone-strengthening physical activity on at least 3 days of the week. Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; 2008.

Register now if you want your daughter to:

Discover the confidence and courage needed to be empowered

Gain self-awareness and insights on what is meaningful

Imagine, think big and explore all that is possible

Crush negative beliefs that get in the way of accomplishing goals

Strengthen positive mindset to move out of comfort zone

Learn successful habits that foster achievement

Be equipped with the skills to plan, set goals and be accountable for actions

Acknowledge and apply learnings for future success

Participate in healthy, constructive conversations with peers

Get and give support and encouragement to others

Celebrate the unique, resourceful and whole person that she is

Programs are held at our NEW Empowerment Center. Located off 156th & Maple (15505 Ruggles Street, Suite 108).